Gujarat’s middle order copped plenty of stick again on Monday night, yet those inside the camp feel the real issue starts earlier. Chasing 200 against Mumbai Indians, the Titans were bundled out for 100 in 15.5 overs. Washington Sundar, Glenn Phillips, Rahul Tewatia and Shahrukh Khan contributed only 57 runs, and, of that quartet, Washington was the lone striker above 150.
The line-up itself is familiar. Shubman Gill, B Sai Sudharsan and Jos Buttler remain the first three, with Phillips replacing last year’s Sherfane Rutherford. Shahrukh and Tewatia still occupy the late-overs jobs. In 2025 the trio of Sudharsan (759 runs), Gill (717) and Buttler (538) did so much scoring that the middle rarely had to dig the side out of trouble. This term, Gill and Buttler have been solid rather than sparkling, Sudharsan has stalled, and the engine room suddenly looks under-prepared.
“The middle order was undoubtedly exposed today,” Matthew Hayden, the Titans’ batting coach, conceded after the defeat. Yet he was quick to point out the power-play damage. “The thing about the powerplays is that, you can’t win it from there, especially in a run chase, but you can definitely lose it. And we lost it in the powerplay,” he said, referencing the dismissals of Sudharsan, Buttler and Gill inside 4.4 overs.
Lose your top three early and the rest, as Hayden admitted, are forced into roles they neither rehearse nor relish. “We shouldn’t be allowing Rahul Tewatia or Shahrukh Khan lots of balls. That’s not their role. That’s not what they train for. You know, we are a very good thinking batting unit and an adaptive batting unit. And what that means is that they’ve got their roles and they play them and today they simply didn’t.”
The numbers are stark. Shahrukh has 35 from 25 deliveries this season; Tewatia 49 from 42. Phillips, signed for his six-hitting pedigree, has 67 off 54. All three are striking well below their career norms.
Former India opener Abhinav Mukund, speaking on television, felt clarity is missing. “They’ve almost gone from feast to famine. Last year they barely needed the middle order; now those same lads walk out at 30-for-3 and have to rebuild, then finish. That’s a tough ask even for seasoned pros.”
Faf du Plessis, also on pundit duty, agreed but highlighted intent. “If you’ve only got 100 to chase, you can still bat time. They looked panicked, almost as though every ball had to go for four. That’s when the collapse happens.”
Hayden believes the solution is simpler: restore the top three to form and everyone relaxes. However, with two defeats on the bounce, the pressure is no longer theoretical. Oppositions now sense a wobble and are targeting Gujarat with early swing and disciplined spin in the middle overs. Until Gill or Buttler bat deep again, Shahrukh and Tewatia will keep facing situations they were never signed up for.
At the halfway stage of the league, Titans sit mid-table, a reminder that things are far from catastrophic. One substantial stand could flip the narrative. Yet in a competition decided by momentum, unresolved batting roles can haunt a campaign.
Phillips, typically upbeat, took responsibility. “The lads up top have done it for years; it’s on the middle to cover a bad day,” he told the host broadcaster. “My job’s clear: come in, hit boundaries, change games. I haven’t done it yet.”
Clarity of roles, then, is not the problem; executing them under stress is. Hayden summed it up neatly: “You know, when you send Shahrukh Khan there – I don’t know the numbers – if you’re getting seven balls and you’re striking at 180, you’re having a hell of a season. See, those numbers seem ridiculous if you’re looking for aggregates and averages.”
Seven balls at 180. When the top three click, that is all Gujarat need from their finishers. Right now, though, they need rather more.
